My name is Johnny Grimmer and I’m an emcee from Stony Brook, NY, on Long Island. At age 10, in the 5th grade, I was exposed to hip-hop for the first time when my neighbor Rob introduced me to Eminem‘s The Marshall Mathers LP. From that point on I was constantly dissecting hip-hop lyrics from artists like Nas, JAY-Z, and Tupac, studying their rhyme schemes and use of language, trying to emulate their flows and wordplay. Throughout junior high and high school, I was constantly writing lyrics of my own that I would record over my favorite instrumentals, most of which I kept private until I got to college.
In 2008 I graduated from Ward Melville High School in East Setauket, NY, and attended Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY. As a freshman I would borrow my friend Brian’s microphone and record raps on my Macbook in my dorm room while my roommates were in class. As I became more confident in my abilities I began to share my music with friends, which led me to creating a remix of Asher Roth‘s “I Love College” called “I Love Marist,” which garnished more than 3,000 views overnight, and has over 25,000 combined views to date.
After the success of “I Love Marist” I released my first mixtape titled Split Personalities, which embodied my dual role as a student leader and entertainer on campus. After performing in a “Battle of the Bands” style showcase at The Loft in Poughkeepsie, NY, I earned an invitation to perform as a second stage opening act for Mac Miller when Mac visited The Chance in Poughkeepsie, NY, in May 2011. In 2012, I created a monthly on-campus concert series that featured myself and three friends, Matt Scuteri, Dan Zlotnick, and Sam Miller, and was also seen performing at many on-campus events (Relay for Life, MCTV’s Foxapalooza, etc.) and off-campus parties. These performances acted as a launch pad for my second mixtape Regular Kids, which focused on the fact that we all have the same potential for pursuing our dreams. This eventually led to an invitation to perform as the opening act for Hoodie Allen and Mike Posner when they visited Marist College for the Student Programming Council‘s Spring Concert in April 2012.
After graduating in 2012, I started working in advertising sales at a company in Manhattan, and moved out on my own for the first time. This gave me the personal and financial freedom to work on my first professional studio recording, The Butterfly Effect EP, featuring production from Muzado (formerly HiFiveMusic). I had moderate success with the EP, performing at a variety of local showcases, open mics, and college parties.
Since then I’ve had the opportunity to live in Poughkeepsie, New Paltz, Hyde Park, and Stony Brook while continuing to perform on the college circuit, releasing new music, and founding Grimbrook, an independent record label focused on creating a connected community.